2008 Malibu tires size

GM Family Resemblance

July 12, 2015 – 11:12 am

Where, you may be wondering, does this leave the Impala in Chevy’s lineup? It’s a step up in size, almost nine inches longer, and distinctly low tech, offering three pushrod choices under the hood and four-speed automatics only.

The Malibu and the Aura, particularly, share a strong family resemblance: low nose and smoothly chiseled flanks. But the Aura wears odd jewelry, leaving the Malibu to be the head turner. Its two-slot mesh grille with the bold gold bow tie smack between them is a strong architectural statement. The wedgy body with a fast slope to the windshield and clean, high tail owes much to Passats past. The Ford Fusion sips from this well, too. Both domestics have tried to avoid copying the VW’s simple taillights. The GM solution appears to be part old Passat and part current model.

Our top-of-the-line Malibu LTZ test car makes a better impression. It’s powered by the optional 3.6-liter four-cam V-6, redlined at 6800. Output is 252 horsepower at 6300. Lower-level Malibu V-6s have a four-speed automatic, but the LTZ gets a six-speeder with finger-tip shifting at the wheel. A 2.4-liter Ecotec four is standard in all Malibus, and it, too, gets six ratios in LTZ wrapping.

This V-6 pours out plenty of scoot in metro motoring; you hear the front tires scratching for traction when you hustle away from stops. The urgency fades to merely brisk in the higher gears. At the track, we measured 6.5 seconds to 60 mph, good enough to take the trophy in our last comparison of similar V-6 family haulers [“Mid-Size Four-Door Sedans, ” December 2005]. The 15.1-second ET in the quarter would have tied for top eliminator in that grouping, too.

The LTZ wears 225/50R-18 Goodyear Eagle LS2 touring tires on crisply carved 10-spoke alloys. There’s no shilly-shallying as you pick up the arc of a fast bend. Malibu V-6s have hydraulic power steering (fours get electric) with a trusty feel. This ride is smoother than the Accord’s, and tire noise is well controlled for such a low profile. The brakes have a firm, intuitive pedal, delivering stops from 70 mph in 166 feet. Skidpad cornering measured 0.83 g with reliable understeer.

It remains difficult, still, to have scoot and arrow-straight steering in the same front-driver. The Malibu almost manages, but on worn blacktops where years of tires have worn two swales in each lane, part-throttle acceleration is enough to make the path wormy, even at passing speeds.

Inside, the coved dash—think 1959 Chevrolet—gives two scoops of brick red in an otherwise charcoal field, a color scheme that carries over to the doors and seats. This is specific to the LTZ; the lesser models we’ve seen are monochrome. The materials are mostly hard to the touch, but shines, sheens, and graining are agreeable. There’s enough bright trim to carry off the suggestion of first-class accommodations. Again, expectations exceeded.

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